Kids Bible Devotional for August 8, 2024
Listen Here
Focus Verse
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (KJV)
Jump Start
"Okay, Bugsy. You’ve got guilt written all over your face. I can read you like this morning’s paper. Admit it, already. You’re the one who broke into the safe and ran off with the loot."
You’ve probably seen a cop show where they try to get the criminal to confess. Have you ever had to confess to something? If you have, then you know that it’s not easy to admit when you’ve made a mistake. We try to conceal our wrong doings, ignore them altogether, or lie to protect ourselves. But we know that if we do, we’ll end up worse than before.
There’s an old Scottish proverb that says, “Confession is good for the soul.” The Bible says it this way in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The first step to attaining forgiveness is to admit we made a blunder. We’re not perfect. We’ve made a mistake that has hurt another, ourselves, or even God. But aren’t you glad that God doesn’t hold grudges? He not only wipes away our sins but helps us to avoid repeating them.
Today's Devotion
Wyatt glanced out the window at his friends headed toward the baseball field. He wanted to be with them, but he had to finish his research paper. His computer was taking forever to load. A thought came to him. His sister, Scarlett, had gotten a new computer for Christmas. She had strictly forbidden him from using it. But she was out of town with the debate team. She’d never know if he borrowed it.
Wyatt grabbed the laptop from her desk and slinked back into his room. As he booted it up, he spun too fast in the chair and his foot got caught on the computer power cord. Before he knew what had happened, the computer landed on the floor with a sickening thud. A huge crack appeared on the screen. Wyatt panicked. He quickly returned the computer to his sister’s room and went back to the old computer like nothing ever happened.
Later that night, during family devotion, Wyatt’s dad talked about Jericho. “Joshua had given his men explicit instructions not to take anything from Jericho for themselves. But Achan didn’t listen. He hid some of the plunder for himself. When Israel lost an easy battle over Ai, God revealed Achan’s sin. Achan confessed his sin before Israel, and the curse was lifted.”
Wyatt slumped in his chair. His hidden transgression weighed heavy on his conscience. He blurted out, “I took Scarlett’s computer without permission, and I broke it. It was an accident. I’m sorry. I don’t want to be cursed!”
His parents looked dumbfounded. “Let’s take this one step at a time,” his father said. “First, you are not cursed. Second, why did you take your sister’s laptop?”
“The old computer was running slow. I wanted to get my report done so I could play baseball.”
“Thank you for telling the truth,” his mother said. “We can fix the computer, but there will be consequences.”
“For starters, you’re going to have to tell Scarlett what happened to her computer when she returns home,” Dad said.
Wyatt dreaded that conversation most of all.
Wrap Up
Fear can drive us to make bad choices. This is especially true when we find ourselves in a mess of our own making. Like Adam and Eve did when they disobeyed God, they hid from God, as He didn’t know what happened.
It takes courage to do the right thing. God can give you that courage. You are made of stronger stuff, especially when you have Jesus in your heart.
Comments